Gears of War: Revenants
by Menisterrr
Summary: A working father, a dead mother, and a missing brother. Not exactly the best life ever. Throw in the fact that there are Locusts at every turn threatening the very existence of humanity and you're in for a few surprises.
1. Chapter 1

Wow, jeez, okay. It's been awhile since I've been here. Reread this story and thought I should rewrite it a bit, so that's what I'll (hopefully) be doing! And, maybe, I'll actually get further this time around and get to important stuff too, that should definitely be a thing that happens. Well, here's the revised first chapter, R&R and enjoy!

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><p><strong>Materinski Estate; Ephyra, Tyrus<strong>

**5 years before E-day**

"Adela? Where are you?"

Hector Materinski roamed the empty hallways, hands clenched uneasily in his pockets in spite of his active effort to suppress the chill that ran up his spine. He always felt as if he was being watched here, the looming portraits of past Materinski men on the walls observing and knowing all of his secrets. He shuddered, just imagining what it must've been like for a four-year-old girl to be alone with such haunting commemorations for six hours a day. "Adela?" he asked, peering into one of the many rooms of the house, which happened to be his wife's old study. "Catherine, have you seen Adela? I can't find her anywhere," he piped up, entering the room and sauntering across to stand before his wife's desk, eyeing her over his spectacles. The woman sighed, putting down the files she was reading and sitting back in her chair. "Did you check in the garden? She loves it out there," she suggested, fingernails drumming idly against the polished wood. Hector sighed, and lifted a hand to run through his ever-thinning hair and slick it back from before his eyes. Adela didn't love it out there; the garden, sadly, was the closest thing she had to a playground, and there was absolutely no way he would let her go to that trash heap the city officials called a 'park'. He'd come to the conclusion that mansions simply aren't really places for children, especially with no one around to entertain them all day. "I think the workers are cleaning the greenhouse," Hector replied, and with a shake of the head another weary huff passed his lips. "It's alright. I'll go check somewhere else."

He hated this—this whole damned thing. If the COG really wanted his expertise, they should hire him, as had been proposed several times. His family could live on the base; he'd never have to leave his daughter, ever again. Hector quietly pushed open the door to the great room, and there she was: sitting in a chair too small for her, reading a book silently. He was, as any sane parent would've been, proud of his daughter. She was an intelligent young girl, and he prided himself in raising her like this.. but another part of him, that part of him that wasn't the Materinski half, said that he'd done it all wrong, and he started to agree with it more and more every day. Adela deserved a childhood, one that didn't involve worrying about not getting a perfect score on some stupid little test that meant nothing, or having to bother house servants for something to do. Hector always had to stop himself from continuing at that point, though; he wouldn't have been where he was then if he hadn't done well in school, and his daughter would have to grow up without the same opportunities he had.

"Hi, sweetheart," he said, and a brief moment's preparation passed before he began ambling towards her. "What are you reading?" He kneeled down next to her as she flipped the book to the cover, allowing him to see the title—she was reading a newer version of that old folktale, Romily, and at this point, he had to stop himself from visibly shaking his head. She'd been reading that book almost every day lately, and she knew exactly what happened, so why did she keep reading the same book every time? "Dear, you've read that book fifty times," he spoke, a frown tugging at the corners of his lips as he said this. Adela shrugged, not bothering to look at him. She'd seen many times that there would never be any real emotion in that face of his. "I'm trying to picture the monsters," she said, and with that, she simply continued to read. Her father cleared his throat, standing up straight and forcing a smile once more. "Why don't we go for a nice little walk? You need some fresh air in you," he said, bending down and scooping her up in his arms. At first, Adela seemed almost noticeably surprised; she wasn't used to such friendly contact from her father, or anyone really, for that matter. Her face straightened out, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"You're leaving again," she said certainly. He sighed, setting her gently down on the floor and stooping so their faces were level. "Adela, the COG needs me. We're saving Tyrus, remember? And Tyke and mommy," he said, putting on a false smile. She remained detached, looking up at him with his own father's impassive eyes, and for a moment it was as if he could hear that old, gravelly voice haunting him again. "You say that every time. I asked mommy. She said they'll always be in danger," Adela said, staring at him expressionlessly. "Well... I'll make it different this time," Hector said, and smiled at her, "and I'll make it safe. For everyone." From the noticeable shift in her position, he could tell she had no quarrel with this, and was, for once, actually relieved. "Okay," she said, nodding. The Doctor took her hand and led her outside, and though the invigorating burst of fresh air that bombarded him as he pushed the doors open was refreshing, the conversation continued to trouble him.

**Aspho Fields, Ostri Republic**

**2 years before E-day**

"Mr. Harvard? Where are momma and daddy?" Adela asked for the tenth time that day, peering over the edge of the CO's desk, pudgy fingers sliding along the rutted oak. "I already told you, Adela, they're busy." "With the UIR?" "Yes, the UIR. That's it. Why don't you go play with Michael and Francis?" Lee asked, tapping away at his keyboard for a few more moments, and raising the mike to his lips as the little girl trotted away. "Catherine, she's asking me again," he said, eyeing the map sprawled across his several-monitor display to aid in tracking the progress of capturing the Hammer of Dawn technology. "Oh, quit your griping, Lieutenant. You're telling me you can handle insurrectionists, but not a 7-year-old?" the static-y voice on the other end of the line questioned, and Lee chuckled as he heard another Long Shot fire, round after round until the clip emptied. "I might have kids, Cathy, but I don't have a girl," he stated matter-of-factly. "Wait… you've got hostiles. Left flank. Keep an eye out."

"Understood. Materinski out."

Catherine sighed as she ducked into cover behind a few empty ammo storage crates, Lancer cradled to her chest as she dropped her hand from the mike and her fingers found the trigger once more. "I think this mission's gone FUBAR," one of the Major's teammates yelled over the gunfire in the background towards her, and another artillery strike detonated a few dozen meters from their position, rattling Catherine's bones down to their core. "I noticed, Harvard. We need to find a way to take out those Asps," she shouted back towards the call, blind firing over the barricade and hitting an Indie dead center in the abdomen.

Meanwhile, Adela sauntered down the hallway in search of her other young companions, fingers laced behind her back as she craned her neck to see through the doorways. "Adela! In here!" a high-pitched voice called out to her, originating from a room at the end of the corridor. The girl skipped to the door, grabbing onto the brass doorknob and pushing it open with a loud creak. "Francis, what are you doing?" she asked, looking up at the little boy on top the tall bookshelf with an expression of disdain. "What does it look like I'm doing?" Adela paused for a moment, chewing her lip in thought, before eventually giving a small shrug. "Well, sitting on top of a bookshelf," she stated simply, causing Francis to sigh and hop down from the shelf. "You weren't supposed to answer, dummy, it was retoritical." "You mean rhetorical?" Francis just looked at her, a confused expression on his face. "That's what I said." Adela sighed, shaking her head and turning on her heels, stopping just short of the doorway for a moment before continuing back into the hall. "Never mind... I'll just find someone else to play with."


	2. Chapter 2

Why ye, this is my second chapter. Short, I know. I just wanted to briefly explain what happened to Zoroark, also know as James. Yes, James as in Animelover inf's character. So enjoy!

ღ Captain

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><p><strong>Ephyra<strong>

**E-day**

"Do not give in to their despondent plans! Their doom is imminent!" came the cogent voice of Queen Myrrah as the Locust army marched along Nexus. The Corpsers walked on the sidelines, waiting to be directed to wherever they would dig their emergence holes. Today was when the attack on the ground walkers would commence, and Sera would belong to the Horde once more. Zoroark strode down the underground highway, head held high and torque bow gripped in his claws. He and his brother had decided to switch roles almost a year ago; Zorua was more gifted when it came to the job of torturing humans, and he made it more like an art form than a task. So there he was, trudging along the dirty path with all his other fellow soldiers, getting anxious about having to face the ground walkers. This would be the first major battle where they would be fighting anything but the Lambent, and this species was very primitive when it came to wartime strategy. At least, that's what Ken said.

"Zoroark!" came the call from the mass of Locust bodies. The Theron Guard turned to see the son of the Kantus High Priest and long-time best friend Scorn, pushing and shoving his way through the crowd to reach him. Zoroark cracked a smile as they approached each other. "You ready for your first battle?" Scorn asked, a wide, sharp-toothed grin dominating the lower half of his face. "Hell yeah I am! All those battle with the Lambent? These humans will probably be a breath of fresh air!"

Ephyra

**3 hours after **

This was the most brutal awakening Zoroark had ever received; these humans were definitely not easier than the Lambent. Sure, they were winning, by a long shot, but there were still those few ground walkers that just made him pissed. The Theron growled as he pulled out a Bolo grenade, his very last, twirled it above his head, and flung it across the battlefield. He then continued to pick off the humans, until he heard a muffled _thump _behind him. He spun on his heels to see a grenade – the very one he'd thrown earlier – embedded in the ground at least an inch from his boot. His mouth spouted a stream of curses as the explosive detonated, sending Zoroark flying. He smacked against the wall behind him, his head taking a lot of the impact as he crumpled to the ground, unmoving and morbidly silent.


	3. Chapter 3

_Yay! Third chapter! Alright, so both of these characters are Animelover inf's characters of course, and so on and so forth._

_Adela: Aren't you forgetting something?_

_Me: Oh, yeah... *sigh* I do not own Gears of War, or any of the contents of its universe, copyrighted by Epic Games, all that good stuff. Enjoy ( and ignore Adela's nagging. )_

ღ Captain

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><p><strong>Ephyra<strong>

**E-day**

Zoroark sat up and grimaced as a hot wave of pain washed down his spine, causing him to dig his claws into the ground. He slowly opened his eyes, looking at his surroundings; he was still in the battlefield, but the place was deserted. The only thing there besides him were the dead bodies, of humans and locusts alike, and weapons that had been dropped at a soldier's demise. But he didn't know that; to him, he was stuck in the middle of nowhere instead of one of the biggest cities on Sera. The Locust grabbed onto the remaining half of the wall behind him, pulling himself onto his feet and trying to think of what he should do next. Where was he? _Who _was he? Zoroark made a whimpering noise as he looked around. He didn't know where to go from here, so he just picked a random direction and decided that he would walk until he found some useable shelter.

Zoroark trekked through Ephyra for hours, not coming along any intact buildings so far. He was tired, hungry, and seriously confused. Then, it came into his field of vision; the light at the end of the tunnel. Or, in this case, the only house in this godforsaken place. "Oh, thank goodness," he muttered as it began to rain. He made a mad dash for the house, running onto the porch and peering into the window. There was no one inside, and the lights were off. _Maybe no one lives here,_ he thought. He grasped the silver doorknob and prepared to enter, but he stopped and thought. _How would I like it if someone broke into my house? _Zoroark sighed, going to a corner of the porch. He leaned against the wall and slid down until he was in a sitting position, and just stared out at the horizon, watching the rainfall.

A few minutes after, just when he was almost dozing off, he heard voices inside. "Rick, your mother's asked you several times to clean out that shed," one of them, a gravelly, aged voice said. "I know, I'm sorry. I just… I think there's a lot more things I can do to help than clean out an old storage shed," a second, more youthful voice replied. Zoroark head a sigh. "Well, for right now, can you just stick to the shack?" the first said. The Locust heard a clicking sound as the door was being unlocked. He vaulted over the railing, scurrying underneath the porch as a young boy exited the house and shut the door behind him. He held his breath as he waited, not daring to make a sound. Rick let out a sigh, sitting down on the porch step and resting his chin in his hands. He could help a lot more than just cleaning out a shed; why couldn't his parents understand that?

The Locust remained absolutely still, just waiting for his opportunity to make a run for it. Then, the thing he dreaded; his stomach let out a long whine, and he cursed himself for not getting anything to eat. Rick jumped, looking at the porch with wide eyes. "_Shit_," Zoroark muttered as he squinted his eyes shut and wished the boy would just go away. "Is anyone there?" Rick asked, his eyes darting back and forth along the cracks in the steps and his ears listening for some response. Zoroark's mind was racing; what should he do? On one side, he might able to get some help, but this kid could also realize what he was and cap him right there. _Aw, fuck it,_ he thought, crawling out from under the steps. The boy's eyes widened as he saw the Locust, and he took a step back. "What… who are you?" he asked in complete shock. "That's the problem; I don't know," Zoroark stated. Rick furrowed his eyebrows. "How do you not know who you are? Wait… did you lose your memory or something?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He just shrugged in response. "I don't know. I just woke up, and I couldn't remember anything," he informed the boy. Rick shook his head as he walked back up the steps. "That's called memory loss," he said, slowly grasping the doorknob. "Now try to stay quiet. I'm not supposed to have anyone over past nine."


	4. Chapter 4

Fourth chapter! Sorry for not updating in a hell of a long time. I was attacked by man-eating projects all due in the same week, along with final exams the week after that. This is just a blah chapter, just to sorta get myself back into the story. Sorry about how short it is, but enjoy. And ignore Adela's nagging!

**P.S. – Never try to write a story during final exams.**

**~ Captain**

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><p>The inside of the house was nice; thin, lacy curtains framed the windows and the walls were covered with photos. There were plants just about everywhere a flat surface was available and the furniture looked so inviting, it made you want to just lay down and fall asleep. Rick led Zoroark up the stairs, going as quietly as he could. One of the floorboards on the stairs creaked under the weight of the Locust's boot and they both cringed, hoping no one had heard. "Rick? Are you done cleaning out the shed?" a woman's voice, presumably his mother, called from the kitchen. "Uh, yeah ma, it's spotless," he answered, shoving his friend up the stairs before his father could see him. He was sitting on the couch reading a newspaper. "Well, dinner's going to be ready in a few. Don't be too long now," she replied, exiting the kitchen and wiping her hands on her apron. "Will do!" Rick called, who was already ushering Zoroark into his room and slamming the door behind them.<p>

"Your parents seem really nice," the locust said, looking around the room. Rick whirled around to face him. "I guess you can stay here until we figure out who you are," he said, "so it you're going to say, we need to lay down some ground rules," he said. "First off, no going downstairs. I don't want to give ma a heart attack," he stated. "What if I need something" Zoroark asked, sitting cross-legged on the floor and looking up at the boy, like a child waiting for instructions. "Then I'll get it for you. My parents might get a little suspicious if I go up and down the stairs every second though, so when they go to sleep, I'll sneak down and get some food we can stash up here," he replied. He plunked down on his bed. "Second rule; try not to make a lot of noise. The floors are thin. Third rule…"

The next day…

Rick sat up and yawned, squinting his eyes shut to block out the blinding sunlight filtering through the thin curtains. He and Zoroark had stayed up pretty late last night, trying to see what the Locust could remember. Apparently, that wasn't much. The boy sat up and rubbed his eyes, then bent down and prodded Zoroark. "Hey… wake up," he said wearily. The Locust moaned, flipping over on his stomach and burying his face in his pillow. "Man, come on, it's time to get up," the boy said. He let out a long sigh as he got out of bed, stepped up to the sleeping Locust, and rolled him off his mattress. Zoroark let out a yelp of surprise as he flipped over, falling flat on his face. He picked his arms up and propped himself up, sending a confused look to Rick. "What the heck?" he asked, grabbing onto the windowsill and pulling himself onto his feet. The boy held a finger to his lips, letting out a serious hiss. "If you talk any louder, you'll wake up my parents. Try to stay quiet," he whispered. Zoroark nodded, putting a hand over his mouth.

The boy and the Locust tiptoed down the stairs, wincing at every little squeak and whine the floorboards made under them. Rick paused for a moment, holding up a hand and signaling Zoroark to freeze. He waited for a moment, then vaulted over the couch and dashed into the kitchen. The Locust attempted to do the same, but instead of jumping over the sofa and landing on his feet, he faceplanted into the carpet, causing Rick to flinch. "What did I just tell you?" he whispered fiercely. Zoroark got to his feet and muttered an apology, tiptoeing into the kitchen. The two then proceeded to pick through the fridge and take only the small things, and by the time they were done, they could barely see over the piles of food in their arms. They carefully proceeded up the stairs, trying not to fall or make noise at the same time, and went back into Rick's room, shutting the door behind them. "Well that was fun," Zoroark said, sitting cross-legged on Rick's bed. "Fun? You almost got us caught," the boy replied, chuckling as he shoveled the food under his bed and moved some shoeboxes in front to hide it. The Locust just shrugged. "So what now?" he asked.

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><p><strong>Such a crappy ending, I know. <strong>But like I said, consider this as a warm-up type of thing. I promise I will make the next chapter more interesting and not complete garbage. James/Zoroark belong to Animelover inf! Thankee for reading and R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

_It's been a helluva long time since you've heard from me, hasn't it? Anyways, here's the fifth chapter of Revenants, where James finally gets to leave Rick's room after five frigging months of being held hostage! :D_

_But yeah, I don't own Gears of War, nor do I own any of the characters in this chapter._

__Gears of War (c) Epic Games

James, Rick, random parents (c) animelover inf

_Enjoy!_

ღ Captain

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><p>Rick sat up in bed, groaning and putting a hand on his forehead. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood. "Good morning, James," he said, dragging his palm down his face and opening his eyes. But he was alone. He widened his eyes and looked around, his face contorting into a confused expression. "James?" he questioned, his voice a little louder but still low in the hopes of not waking his parents up. He was starting to get panicked; did he really break the first rule they'd established, after <em>five whole months?<em> Just then, the bathroom door swung open and out stepped the Locust himself, a towel wrapped around his waist. Rick let out a sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that," he muttered, now feeling a little foolish for thinking James – probably the most obedient guy you'd ever meet – would have done exactly what he was told not to do. "Sorry. But I just really needed a shower," he said. He smiled, revealing sharp fangs and a glint appeared in his eyes as he chuckled, and Rick knew he couldn't stay upset at him. "Alright, well, I'll go get us some breakfast," he said, slowly turning towards the door. Sometimes, James was so loyal, it made him worry he'd follow him downstairs like a puppy not wanting to leave its owner. He always glanced over his shoulder just to check before shutting the door behind him.

Rick trudged down the stairs, yawning and tilting his head to the side a bit as his spine popped. He let out a weary sigh and walked into the kitchen, but instead of smelling the usual buttery pancakes and hearing bacon sizzling on the stove, his senses were met with silence. He glanced over at the clock hanging above the window behind the sink.

_11:37? Ma's usually awake by now. Something's up…_

He walked back into the living room, and that's when he saw the note. Snatching it off the table, he scanned it quickly, heaving an irritated sigh.

_Rick,_

_Gone to pick up Cousin Henry. We'll be back about noon._

_ღ Mom_

Rick had to admit, Cousin Henry wasn't _terrible… _just irritating. He was always up in everyone's business, especially Rick's. He'd tried, and failed, many times to set up blind dates for him, and it was starting to really annoy him.

He walked to the foot of the steps and peered up to the floor above. "James, you can come down now," he said, walking back into the living room and plopping down on the couch. The Locust plodded down the stairs and sat next to him, feeling a little awkward. The only time he'd ever spent downstairs before now was that first day, for only about ten seconds, and Rick could sense the awkwardness in his motions. They were tuned in to a special broadcast on SNC when the sound of glass shattering rang out from the kitchen. James and Rick bolted upright, immediately snapping their attention to the kitchen. "What was that?" the boy questioned. He stood up, but the ex-Theron put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Shh. You hear that?" he asked. The two remained silent for a few moments, listening. He could've sworn he'd heard voices… He glanced over at James and read the expression on his face. Yeah, he heard it, too. Was someone trying to break in?

Before he had time to think, the criminals came into view. The two men entered the living room, stopping in their tracks once they saw James and Rick. The room fell under a morbid silence as Rick stared at the robbers. The other man, on the other hand, had already reached down to his belt. James saw the butt of the man's pistol slip form under his shirt and his heart sank all the way to the floor. _Oh no you don't. _

The next few seconds were probably the fastest in Rick's life. James put a hand on his chest and flung him back, pushing him on the couch as he charged towards the thief. He couldn't see it, but he heard a few gunshots discharge, then a loud, muffled _thump_. Rick sat up and saw James standing over one of the men, his foot planted firmly on the guy's chest to keep him from retrieving the gun about a meter or so away. The other guy was pinned to the wall by the Locust's fist. Any confidence he used to have was gone from his face.

But that wasn't the only different thing. He looked up at James and saw something in his eyes, something he'd never seen before. It could've possibly been rage, anger, or any of the millions of other expressions he'd never seen on his face. But whatever it was he was feeling, it made a chill run up his spine. This James meant business.

"No one pulls a gun on _my_ _brother_," he snarled in the man's face, baring his fangs and causing the intruder to flinch. "W-we're sorry! I-if you let us go, we'll leave! We'll never come back again, I swear!"

Rick had decided he'd had enough of this. Just when he was about to open his mouth, the door burst open and in came his father, armed with his shotgun. He usually kept it hidden under the porch just in case, but he must've heard all the commotion from outside when he and Rick's mother had returned.

James let go of the burglar and they both held their hands up, showing they were unarmed. Everyone began talking at once:

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Rick! Sweetheart, are you alright?"

"Who the hell are _you_ supposed to be? _Why are you in my house?"_

"Look, we didn't mean to intrude-"

"_You_. Shut your mouth before I blow your goddamn brains out!"

"Lord have mercy_, is that a gun in my house?"_

"Everybody, _shut up!"_ Rick yelled, and the room fell again into silence. He turned to his parents. "I don't know about you, but I think I'm going to call the police," he said. James turned his attention back to the burglars and growled, earning stares from Rick's parents.

His father reached over and grabbed Rick's arm, pulling him away from James and aiming his shotgun at him one-handed. "Who the hell are you?" he questioned, watching his every move.

"Dad, stop!" Rick yelled, holding up his hands in a hold-it gesture. "He's not going to hurt anyone, just trust me!"

Kurt lowered his shotgun and scowled, waiting to hear the long explanation that would surely follow.


End file.
